Water is a precious commodity and there is a limited supply in most communities. Remember to use only the amount you actually need. Encourage your family to keep looking for new ways to conserve water in and around your home. .

Water is a precious commodity and there is a limited supply in most communities. Remember to use only the amount you actually need. Encourage your family to keep looking for new ways to conserve water in and around your home. Locate you main shut-off valve. It is important to know its location in case of emergencies.

If all U.S. households installed water-efficient appliances the country would save more than three trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion a year.

1. The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to eight gallons of water a day, which equals 240 gallons a month.

2. Fix leaks in faucets

3. Take shorter showers

4. Replace older showerheads with low-flow fixtures – 31 billion gallons of water can be saved each month.

5. Use only water-efficient dishwashers and clothes washers, being sure to only run full loads of either; install low-volume toilets.

6. Plastic water bottles are made from petroleum. Municipal water is tested more rigorously for impurities than many spring water sources for commercially bottled water. If you want to carry drinking water, fill a metal or glass container with tap water. It’s cheaper and safer.

7. Only wash your car at a car wash – they are required by law to recycle the water used. You also avoid wasting water and polluting our streams.

8. Drip irrigation for plants uses up to 40% less water than fixed irrigation systems.